What's New: Audi updates the R8's appearance with new LED headlights and taillights, a revised grille, redesigned sideview mirrors, round exhausts, and a new rear underbody diffuser. But it's the new seven-speed, dual-clutch, paddle-shift S-Tronic transmission that reinforces this fantastic car's performance credentials. Audi still offers a six-speed manual for a direct mechanical connection to the midengine, all-wheel-drive sports car.

A new V-10 Plus option thumps the 5.2-liter V-10 from 525 hp up to 550. Meanwhile, new "waved brakes" are fitted to the V-8 and V-10 models. These use wavy-edged rotors to reduce weight and improve cooling. The V-10 Plus is fitted with ceramic brake rotors.

Tech Tidbit: The rotors on the waved brakes appear to be eccentric, but each dip along their edges effectively increases the rotor surface area for quicker cooling and heat cycling. Beyond that, each of those dips represents a slight drop in rotor mass. And that's a reduction in both unsprung weight and rotational inertia.

Driving Character: The midengine R8's stalwart character and brilliant ability return intact for the car's seventh season. Whether you're in the coupe or droptop Spyder, the R8 is engineered for full immersion. The driver feels completely engaged with the car. It's the sort of machine that has you turning off the radio to hear the engine growl and firmly gripping the wheel to feel the roadway ripple through the steering. Audi may have tweaked how the supercar looks, but it's still the same R8 in all the good ways.

A new S-tronic dual-clutch seven-speed transmission is offered with either the V-8 or V-10 engines, and it feels, well, very Porsche-like. Audi says the gearbox is all theirs, but the brand has never had a transmission that shifts so brilliantly before. It's so good that Audi claims the transmission alone knocks 0.3 second off the 0-to-60 time in the new 550-hp V-10 Plus model compared with the six-speed manual—down to 3.3 seconds.

Favorite Detail: As good as the new dual-clutch S-tronic is, it's still a thrill to push the six-speed manual through its gated shifter. The musical clank of the shifter stalk tapping the gate makes the driver feel like Nuvolari moving through the field at the Nurburgring, even when you're simply sweeping up an interstate on-ramp. Combine that with the V-8's roar or the V-10's howl and this isn't just a car, it's automotive stagecraft.

Driver's Grievance: Most midengine cars, like the Ferrari 458 and Porsche Boxster, feature instant reflexes available at the flick of a finger. But though its structure is aluminum, the R8 has a less communicative chassis and heavier steering that demand more muscle to move the car. Maybe some of that can be traced to the car's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. It's more likely an engineering decision with which your test driver simply disagrees.

Bottom Line: Audi's all-aluminum R8 has always been a relatively practical car compared with its competition. It's easy to get in and out of, the driver can actually see out of it, the ride doesn't beat you up, and it's purposely styled to be less ostentatious than a Ferrari or Lamborghini.

None of that has changed. On paper it might seem like the V-10 is the only version to buy—after all, why buy a car that looks like a supercar but packs only 10 more hp than a Mustang GT? But be warned: The extra two cylinders cost $36,300, and the Plus model is another $19,345. Forgetting the price difference, we simply prefer to drive the V-8, which, with its mellow exhaust note and forgiving torque curve, is also easier to live with. And the 4.2-second 0-to-60 time is still plenty quick.

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